U.S. Department of State 2002 Trafficking in Persons Report - Tanzania
- Author: Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons
- Document source:
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Date:
5 June 2002
Tanzania (Tier 2)
Tanzania is a source country for trafficked persons. Available information indicates that trafficking in Tanzania is most often internal and related to child labor, including child prostitution in the larger cities. Some sources also suggest that women and girls may be trafficked to South Africa, the Middle East, North Africa, Asia, and Europe to work as prostitutes. Children are trafficked from rural to urban areas within the country for domestic work, commercial agriculture, fishing, and mining. Children in the country's large refugee population are especially vulnerable to being trafficked to work on Tanzanian plantations, and some have been transported from refugee camps for training as child soldiers. To a lesser degree, Tanzania is a destination point for trafficked persons from India and surrounding African countries.
The Government of Tanzania does not meet the minimum requirements to eliminate trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. The government has acknowledged that trafficking is a problem. Severe financial constraints, pervasive corruption, and porous borders and only nascent understanding of the scope of the problem have hampered anti-trafficking efforts, resulting in an inconsistent and incomplete framework to combat trafficking. A new section of the penal code criminalizes trafficking within or outside of Tanzania; however the penalty is relatively light. A multi-agency government task force coordinates on child labor issues, but does not specifically address trafficking in persons. Law enforcement agencies traditionally investigate trafficking cases as immigration/visa crimes; consequently, there have been no trafficking convictions. Tanzania is one of three countries participating in a pilot program to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. The program brings together government agencies, trade unions, and legal and social welfare organizations to combat child labor and trafficking. The government does not provide training for law enforcement officials in how to investigate and prosecute incidences of trafficking. Witness protection is not provided. Little government assistance is provided to protect victims, although some community organizations provide assistance, counselling, and rehabilitation. Foreign victims are routinely repatriated. The government has begun to provide free education to primary school children, which may help prevent child labor and child prostitution. There have been some public education campaigns, but the government does not have the resources to provide financial or in-kind contributions to social service NGOs.
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